WO2017085370A1

WO2017085370A1 - Device for ejecting a cork from a corkscrew and corkscrew provided with such an ejection device

Info

Publication number: WO2017085370A1
Application number: PCT/FR2016/052803
Authority: WO
Inventors: Nicolas BROUILLAC
Original assignee: Psp
Priority date: 2015-11-19
Filing date: 2016-10-27
Publication date: 2017-05-26
Also published as: US10696528B2; FR3043999B1; EP3377437B1; ES2924424T3; CA3005415A1; FR3043999A1; EP3377437A1; US20180327241A1

Abstract

The present invention relates to a device for ejecting a cork (7) from a corkscrew (1), comprising a body (2) in which a spiral (3) is received. The invention is characterised in that it comprises a tubular cradle (6) capable of being housed in a cavity (5) of the body (2) and of receiving said spiral (3) and a cork (7) screwed onto the spiral (3), said cradle (6) being formed of a stationary sleeve (8) intended to be rigidly connected to said body (2) of the corkscrew (1) and of a sliding sleeve (9) that is translatable relative to the stationary sleeve (8) between a position in which same is fully engaged in the stationary sleeve (8) and a position in which same is at least in part withdrawn from said stationary sleeve (8), said stationary sleeve (8) and said sliding sleeve (9) having a top end (80, 90) and a bottom end (81, 91) assuming a vertical position of the ejection device, and said sliding sleeve (8) comprising means capable of exerting, on a cork (7) retained in said corkscrew (1), a force (Fl) oriented towards the bottom end (81) of the stationary sleeve (8) when said sliding sleeve is moved into the position thereof in which same is at least in part withdrawn from said stationary sleeve (8). The invention also relates to a corkscrew provided with such an ejection device.

Description

Device for ejecting a stopper from a corkscrew and corkscrew equipped with such an ejection device

The present invention relates to a device for ejecting a cap out of a corkscrew of the type comprising a body through which a passage of tubular shape defining a housing in which is received a spinable swivel around the longitudinal axis of said body by means of a gripping element connected to one of its ends and extending outside said body.

The invention also relates to a corkscrew, of the type comprising a body through which a passage of tubular shape defining a housing in which is received a spin, equipped with such a device for ejecting a plug.

Conventionally, to unclog a bottle by means of such a corkscrew, a user first fits the body of the latter on the neck of the bottle. It then screws the auger into the plug closing the bottle, then exerts a rotational force causing the cap in translation by the effect of a helical twist, to extract it from the bottle and bring it into abutment. bottom of housing delimited by the body of the corkscrew. The user then removes the body of the corkscrew from the neck of the bottle, and unscrews the spin. Ideally, the released cap should then fall from the body of the corkscrew by gravity to be retrievable, for example in the user's hand placed under the corkscrew, and then allow a new use of the corkscrew.

In practice, however, it is frequently observed that many plugs, especially because of their slight expansion once extracted from a bottle, remain stuck in the housing delimited internally by the body of the corkscrew and whose dimensions are generally adjusted to those of the cap. When this happens, the user obviously has no other solution than to introduce his fingers into the body of the corkscrew in order to grasp the stopper, and to release it manually from the housing, or to push the stopper by half unscrewing the spin from the corkscrew. Such a procedure is not only tedious but also has the unacceptable disadvantage of causing, in some cases, slight injuries to the fingers of the user operating in a compressed manner in the reduced volume of the body of the corkscrew for remove the stopper. Finally, a plug, particularly when made of a friable material such as cork, can be damaged by the somewhat brutal treatment to which it is inevitably subjected during its forced extraction. This can then prohibit its possible subsequent reuse to close a bottle only partially started, and compel the user to obtain a spare cap, which may be of lesser quality.

The present invention aims to overcome these disadvantages by proposing a solution that allows a user to easily extract, and successfully with each attempt, a plug retained in the body of a corkscrew without having to insert his fingers into that or to have to push the cap with the twist, therefore in a secure manner, and while preserving the structural integrity of the plug concerned.

For this purpose, the present invention relates to a device for ejecting a cap out of a corkscrew of the type indicated in the preamble, characterized in that it comprises a cradle of tubular appearance adapted to be housed in the housing a corkscrew and to accommodate said auger and a screw cap on the auger, said cradle being formed of a fixed sleeve intended to be secured to said body of the corkscrew and a sliding sleeve, movable in translation relative to at the fixed sleeve, between a position in which it is fully fitted into the fixed sleeve and a position in which it is at least partially extracted from said fixed sleeve, said sleeves fixed and sliding member having an upper end and a lower end while considering a vertical position of the ejection device, and said sliding sleeve comprising means capable of exerting, on a plug retained in said corkscrew, a force directed towards the end base of the fixed sleeve, when it is brought to its position in which it is at least partially extracted from said fixed sleeve.

The invention also relates to a corkscrew comprising a hollow body forming a housing in which is received a spin able to be rotated about the longitudinal axis of said body by means of a gripping element connected to the one of its ends and extending outside said body, said housing being adapted to receive a cap screwed on the auger and having, in the vicinity of the free end of the auger, at least a portion of circular section adapted to to be fitted on the neck of a bottle, characterized in that it comprises a device for ejecting a plug as defined above.

Other features and advantages of the invention will emerge from the following detailed description relating to an exemplary embodiment of the ejection device given solely for information and not limitation.

The understanding of this description will be facilitated with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 illustrates a perspective view of a corkscrew according to the invention,

FIG. 2 illustrates a perspective view of all the constituent parts of the corkscrew of FIG. 1,

Figures 3 to 8 show sectional views of the corkscrew of Figure 1 during the various stages of its use to unclog a bottle. In the variant embodiment illustrated in the figures, the corkscrew 1 according to the invention comprises a generally tubular body 2 whose external wall is solid and which can be made of a material such as in particular wood, a metal, a plastic, a composite material, or any other equivalent material that is both solid and aesthetic. In a conventional manner, the body 2 delimits internally a housing 5 adapted to house a swirler 3 intended to be rotated about the longitudinal axis of the body 2 by a user handling a gripping element, such as a handle 4 emerging from the body 2 and connected to one end of the swirler 3.

According to the invention, the corkscrew 1 is furthermore equipped with a device for ejecting a stopper 7 which is housed in the housing 5 after its extraction from a bottle 11. The ejection device comprises a cradle 6, tubular shape. As seen in Figures 3 to 8, the housing 5 and the cradle 6 have a complementary shape allowing their interlocking. The cradle 6 is also shaped so as to be able to accommodate the swirler 3 and a plug 7 screwed into the swirler 3. The cradle 6 can be made of a material such as for example a plastic, a composite material, a material ceramic, a metal or any other equivalent material.

In the embodiment shown, the cradle 6 is formed of a fixed sleeve 8 intended to be secured to the body 2 of the corkscrew 1 and a sliding sleeve 9, movable in translation relative to the fixed sleeve 8, between a position in which it is fully fitted and housed in the fixed sleeve 8 (see for example Fig. 5) and a position in which it is at least partially extracted from the fixed sleeve 8 (see Fig. 6).

The fixed 8 and sliding sleeves 9 have an upper end 80, 90 and a lower end 81, 91 considering a vertical position of the cradle 6. They each have a first section 82, 92, whose section is intended to accommodate, in a tight manner, a plug

7 screwed on the auger 3 and a second section 83, 93 of greater cross section than the first section 82, 92 adapted to be fitted on the neck 10 of a container closed by the plug 7, such as a bottle 11. Each of the fixed sleeves

8 and slider 9 thus has a shoulder 84, 94 formed between its first section 82, 92 and its second section 83, 93.

In the embodiment shown, the peripheral wall of the fixed sleeve 8 comprises first two strips of material 85, 85 ', the outer faces are curved while the inner faces 850, 850' are planar appearance. These two strips of material 85, 85 'are symmetrical with respect to the axis of the fixed sleeve 8 and extend over its first section 82 between its upper end 80 and its shoulder 84. Their inner faces 850, 850' are spaced apart from each other. a distance d1 allowing the clamping of a plug 7. Furthermore, the strips of material 85, 85 'extend under the shoulder 84 and thus define two fins 101, 101' of height h2 extending at the level of the upper end of the second section 83 of the fixed sleeve 8. Moreover, the material strips 85, 85 'delimit two longitudinal slots 86, 86' also extending between the upper end 80 and the shoulder 84 of the first section 82 .

The peripheral wall of the fixed sleeve 8 further comprises two strips of material 87, 87 'symmetrical with respect to the axis of the fixed sleeve 8 and extending on its second section 83 between its shoulder 84 and its lower end 81, delimiting two longitudinal slots 88, 88 '(see Fig. 2). The material strips 87, 87 'of the second section 83 of the fixed sleeve 8 have curved internal faces spaced apart by a diameter d2 and have a width 12 greater than the width 11 of the material strips 85, 85' of the first section 82. , and chosen to give an identical width to all of the longitudinal slots 86, 86 ', 88, 88' of the fixed sleeve 8. The sliding sleeve 9 has a peripheral wall complementary to that of the fixed handle 8. In fact, it comprises on each of its first and second sections 92, 93 two strips of material 95, 95 ', 97, 97' extending respectively between its upper end 90 and the shoulder 94, and between the latter and its lower end 91. These strips of material 95, 95 ', 97, 97' are complementary to the longitudinal slots 86, 86 ', 88, 88' of the fixed sleeve 8 and thus define on the sliding sleeve 9 longitudinal slots 96, 96 ', 98, 98' complementary to the material strips 85, 85 ', 87, 87' of the fixed sleeve 8.

It should also be noted that the material strips 85, 85 ', 87, 87', 95, 95 ', 97, 97' comprise rectilinear longitudinal edges.

Thanks to such a structure, the two fixed sleeves 8 and sliding 9 can be nested, their respective strips of material 85, 85 ', 87, 87', 95, 95 ', 97, 97' being inserted into their longitudinal slots respective 86, 86 ', 88, 88', 96, 96 ', 98, 98' and therefore being in contact with one another at their respective longitudinal straight edges. These define, as will be described in more detail below, the first guide means in translation of the sliding sleeve 9 relative to the fixed sleeve 8. It should be noted that the sliding sleeve 9 is locked in rotation relative to the fixed sleeve 8 thanks to the contact between the respective longitudinal edges of the strips of material 85, 85 ', 87, 87', 95, 95 ', 97, 97' regardless of its position relative to the fixed sleeve 8.

According to the invention, the upper end 90 of the sliding sleeve 9 is further closed by a cover 99 having a central orifice 12 adapted to allow the passage of the swirler 3 when the cradle 6 is fitted into the body 2 of the puller. cap 1.

Referring to Figure 2, the edge of the cap 99 of the sliding sleeve 9 has two grooves 13 opposite. centered in the extension of each of the longitudinal slots 96, 96 '. They are provided capable of cooperating, when the two sleeves 8, 9 are engaged, with two opposite longitudinal ribs 14, centered on the flat inner face 850, 850 'of each of the complementary strips 85, 85' of the peripheral wall of the first section 82 of the fixed sleeve 8, intended to be received in said slot 96, 96 '. The assembly formed by the two grooves 13 of the sliding sleeve 9 and the two longitudinal ribs 14 of the fixed sleeve 8 defines second means for guiding the sliding sleeve 9 in translation relative to the fixed sleeve 8.

It should be noted that the ribs 14 also make it possible to ensure rotational locking of a plug 7, housed in the part of the corkscrew 1 formed by the first sections 82, 92 of the fixed and sliding sleeves 9, after its extraction of a bottle 11, during the unscrewing of the auger 3. Of course, other locking means in rotation of the plug 7 may be envisaged, such as for example a pair of ribs formed on the inner face of each of the bands of materials 95, 95 'of the sliding sleeve 9, or any other equivalent means.

On the other hand, the cover 99 also comprises two opposite tabs 15, 15 'extending in its plane, on its edge, in the extension of the two material strips 95, 95' of the first section 92 of the sliding sleeve 9. These two lugs 15, 15 'bear on the shoulder 84 of the fixed sleeve 8 when the sliding sleeve 9 is brought to its position in which it is at least partially extracted from the fixed sleeve 8, so as to prevent its total extraction of the sleeve In addition, each of the lugs 15, 15 'has two opposite lateral edges which extend in abutment against the longitudinal edges of the material strips 85, 85' of the fixed sleeve 8, which also prevents any rotation of the sliding sleeve 9. relative to the fixed sleeve 8. Finally, the underside of the cap 99 is extended by a tubular abutment 100, centered on its central orifice 12, and having a height hl identical to the height h2 of the fins 101, 101 '.

The fixed sleeve 8 further comprises a third section 16 extending in the extension of its first section 82 and having an outside diameter less than the outer diameter of the first section 82. Thus, the fixed sleeve 8 comprises a second shoulder 17 extending between its first section 82 and its third section 16.

On the other hand, the lower end 81 of the fixed sleeve 8 comprises a collar 18 on which a plurality of regularly distributed holes 19 extend and which allow the fixing of the fixed sleeve 8 to the body 2 of the corkscrew 1, for example by means of screws 20 introduced into the holes 19 and screwed into the body 2. Of course, other equivalent fastening means can be envisaged.

The lower end 91 of the sliding sleeve 9 is extended by a flange 21 extending in front of the flange 18 of the fixed sleeve 8 when the two sleeves are engaged. This flange 21 provides the function of gripping means allowing a user to more easily manipulate the ejection device according to the invention. In the variant embodiment illustrated, the gripping flange 21 comprises two transverse slots 22 separating it into two half-collars 21a, 21b extending in the extension of the material strips 97, 97 'of the second section 93 of the sliding sleeve 9. This allows the approximation of these two strips of material 97, 97 'to facilitate the sliding of the sliding sleeve 9 relative to the fixed sleeve 8, as will be explained below.

In practice, and with reference to FIGS. 3 to 8, when using the corkscrew 1 according to the invention, equipped with the ejection device that has just been described, to unclog a bottle 11, the user ensures first that the sliding sleeve 9 is fully engaged in the fixed sleeve 8 and is therefore erased therein. He then fits the corkscrew 1 on the neck 10 of the bottle 11, closed by the stopper 7. The assembly formed by the respective second sections 83, 93 of the fixed and sliding sleeves 9 is then placed around the neck 10 (see FIG 3). The swirler 3 is then screwed into the stopper 7 and a traction force exerted on the latter makes it possible to bring it progressively into the assembly formed by the first respective sections 82, 92 of the fixed and sliding sleeves 9 until it is stopped by the annular abutment 100 of the cover 99 of the sliding sleeve 9 (see FIG 4). The distance d1 between the flat internal faces 850, 850 'of the material strips 85, 85' of the first section 82 of the fixed sleeve being chosen so as to obtain a tight fit of the plug 7 received in the cradle 6, said plug 7 remains in the compressed state in which it was while it was housed in the bottle 11. This being now uncorked, the user removes the corkscrew 1 of the neck 10, the cap 7 remaining screwed on the auger 3 and blocked in the body 2 of the corkscrew 1.

In order to allow a new use of the corkscrew 1, and consequently release the plug 7 blocked in the cradle 6, the user unscrews the swirler 3 (see FIG 5). It then grasps the two half-collars 21a, 21b bordering the lower end 91 of the sliding sleeve 9. This has the effect of causing the tightening of the strips of material 97, 97 'of the sliding sleeve 9, and to facilitate the sliding of this last relative to the fixed sleeve 8. The sliding sleeve 9, guided in translation by the first and second translational guide means described above, is progressively extracted from the body 2 of the corkscrew 1. During its displacement, the sleeve slide 9 carries with it the plug 7 on which the tubular stop 100 of the cap 99 exerts a force Fl oriented towards the lower end 80 of the fixed sleeve 8. When the tabs 15 of the cap 99 come into abutment on the shoulder 84 of the fixed sleeve 8, the first section 92 of the sliding sleeve 9, still containing the plug 7, is housed inside the second section 83 of the fixed sleeve 8 (see Fig. 6). The plug 7 is then no longer constrained between the strips of material 85, 85 ', 95, 95' of the fixed sleeves 8 and sliding 9 but and can at least partially expand between the strips of material 95, 95 'of the sliding sleeve 9, and the material strips 87, 87 'of the fixed sleeve 8. Thanks to the presence of the tubular abutment 100 having a height h1 equivalent to that h2 of the fins 101, 101', the upper face of the plug 7 is found just located under the lower end of said fins 101, 101 '. Then, because of its at least partial expansion, the edge of the upper face of the plug 7 is abutted against the lower end of the fins 101, 101 'of the fixed sleeve 8. Therefore, when the user pushes the sleeve sliding 9 so as to re-fit into the fixed sleeve 8, the plug 7 is no longer driven with him but remains in the assembly formed by the respective second sections 83, 93 of the fixed sleeves 8 and sliding 8, retained by the fins 101, 101 '(see Fig. 7). The internal diameter d2 of this assembly being greater than that of the plug 7, the latter now falls by gravity and can be easily recovered by the user (see Figure 8).

It should be noted that the ejection device according to the invention can be designed as a universal module adapted to accommodate a large number of corkscrews having different shapes and characteristics.

Claims

1. Device for ejecting a plug (7) out of a corkscrew (1) of the type comprising a body (2) having a tubular-like through passage defining a housing (5) in which is received a twist (3) adapted to be rotated about the longitudinal axis of said body by means of a gripping element (4) connected to one of its ends and extending outside said body (2) , said device being characterized in that it comprises a cradle (6) of tubular shape adapted to be accommodated in the housing (5) of a corkscrew and to accommodate said auger (3) and a plug (7) screwed into the swirler (3), said cradle (6) being formed of a fixed sleeve (8) intended to be secured to said body (2) of the corkscrew (1) and a sliding sleeve (9), movable in translation relative to the fixed sleeve (8), between a position in which it is fully fitted into the fixed sleeve (8) and a position in which it is at least partially extracted from said fixed sleeve (8), said fixed (8) and sliding sleeves (9) having an upper end (80, 90) and a lower end (81, 91) while considering a vertical position of the ejection device , and said sliding sleeve (8) comprising means capable of exerting, on a plug (7) retained in said corkscrew (1), a force (Fl) directed towards the lower end (81) of the fixed sleeve (8), when brought to its position in which it is at least partially extracted from said fixed sleeve (8).

2. ejection device according to claim 1, characterized in that the upper end (90) of the sliding sleeve (9) is closed by a cover (99) having a central orifice (12) adapted to allow the passage of the spin (3).

3. ejection device according to any one of claims 1 or 2, characterized in that said fixed sleeves (8) and sliding (9) comprise means for locking in rotation of the sliding sleeve (8).

4. ejection device according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that each of said fixed sleeves (8) and sliding (9) comprises a first section (82, 92) adapted to receive a plug (7) screwed on the twist (3) and a second section (83, 93), adapted to be fitted on the neck (10) of a bottle (11), each of the fixed sleeves (8) and sliding (9) having a shoulder ( 84, 94) formed between its first and second sections (82, 92, 83, 93).

5. ejection device according to claim 4, characterized in that the peripheral wall of each of the fixed sleeves (8) and sliding (9) comprises at least one longitudinal slot (86, 86 ', 88, 88', 96, 96 ', 98, 98') extending respectively on its first section (82, 92) between its upper end (80, 90) and its shoulder (84, 94) and on its second section (83, 93) between its shoulder (84, 94) and its lower end (81, 91), and in which is received a strip of complementary material (85, 85 ', 95, 95', 87, 87 ', 97, 97') of the wall peripheral portion of the first and second portions (83, 92, 83, 93) of the other sleeve.

6. ejection device according to claim 5, characterized in that it comprises at least one groove (13) and a rib (14) complementary longitudinal respectively extending on the edge of the cover (99) of the sliding sleeve (9) in the extension of the slot (96, 96 ') that comprises the latter, and on the inner face (850, 850') of the complementary strip (85, 85 ') of the peripheral wall of the first section (82, ) of the fixed sleeve (8) to be received in said slot (96, 96 '), or vice versa.

7. ejection device according to any one of claims 4 to 6, characterized in that the sliding sleeve (9) comprises at least one tab (15) extending the outer edge of the lid (99) in the extension of its peripheral wall (95, 95 ') said tab (15) being able to bear on the shoulder (84) formed between the first section (82) and the second section (83) of the fixed sleeve (8) when the sleeve sliding (9) is brought to its position in which it is at least partially extracted from said body (2).

8. ejection device according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the sliding sleeve (9) comprises gripping means adapted to allow its maneuver by a user.

9. ejection device according to claim 8, characterized in that the lower end (91) of the sliding sleeve (9) is extended by a flange (21) for gripping.

10. ejection device according to claim 9, characterized in that said flange (21) comprises at least one transverse slot (22) extending in the extension of the slot (98, 98 ') that comprises the wall peripheral of the sliding sleeve (9).

11. ejection device according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the lower end (81) of the fixed sleeve (8) comprises a flange (18) adapted to allow its attachment to the body (2) of a corkscrew (1) by suitable assembly means.

12. ejection device according to any one of claims 2 to 11, characterized in that the cover (99) of the sliding sleeve (9) comprises an annular abutment (100) of height hl centered on its central orifice (12). ) and extending under its underside.

13. ejection device according to claim 12, characterized in that the fixed sleeve (8) comprises at least one fin (101, 101 ') of height h2 equal to that of the annular abutment (100) of the sliding sleeve (9 ).

14. A corkscrew (1) comprising a hollow body (2) forming a housing (5) in which is received a swirl (3) adapted to be rotated about the longitudinal axis of said body (2) by means of a gripping element (4) connected to one of its ends and extending outside said body (2), said housing (5) being able to receive a plug (7) screwed onto the tendril (3). ) and having, in the vicinity of the free end of the swirler (3), at least a portion of circular section adapted to be fitted on the neck (10) of a bottle (11), characterized in that it comprises a device for ejecting a plug (7) according to any one of the preceding claims.

15. Corkscrew (1) according to claim 14, characterized in that the housing (5) has a shape complementary to that of the cradle (6) that comprises said ejection device.